Slack adjuster



Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,421

w. H. SAUVAGE v SLACK ADJUSTER Filed April 24, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 W. H. SAUVAGE SLACK ADJUSTER Filed April 24, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 5 192s. 1,568,421

H. SAUVAGE SLACK ADJUSTER Filed April .24. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM H. SAUVAGE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE GOULD COUPLER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

SLACK ADJUSTER.

Application filed April 24, 1922. Serial No. 556,201.

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. SAUVAGE,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Slack Adjusters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in slack adjusters and more particularly to automatically operating slack adjusters for railway brake rigging for regulating the relative or effective length of the tension or compression member thereof.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple and reliable mechanism for automatically regulating the tension or compression member connected with either the foundation brake rigging beneath the car floor or the truck brake rigging.

1 further object is to provide a durable and strong mechanism of the abovecharacter for automatically regulating the brake rigging, thereby to ensure predetermined and uniform piston travel or hand brake operation.

A further object is to provide a practical and efficient device of the above general character which may be easily and quickly 30 applied to any standard equipment now in use without material modification of the remaining parts.

A further object is to provide an inexpensive mechanism of the above character having relatively few parts, which are automatic in action and as nearly fool proof as possible.

A further object is to provide a mechanism of the above character which will eliminate the necessity of any manual operation or adjustment and be entirely automatic in its operation except when replacement of brake shoes or wheels becomes necessary. at which time the mechanism is reset.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out in connection with the following analysis of the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying sheets of drawings illustrating several of various possible embodiments of the invention and wherein corresponding parts are denoted by similar reference charactors.

In these drawings Figure 1 is an elevational view of such parts of a brake rigging as are necessary to understand the present invention as applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a similar "iew showing the same parts in actuated position with excess travel about to be taken up;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a modification showing the invention as applied to the foundation brake rigging;

Figure 4- is an elevational view showing another modification with the invention applied to a brake beam strut;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a live lever and brake beam strut in modified form;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, showing a further modification of similar parts;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1, with the slack adjuster connecting live and dead levers intermediate their ends;

Figure 8 is a side elevation showing the slack adjuster mechanism applied to outside hung brake beams.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and more particularly to Figure 1, there is shown a live lever 12 and a dead lever 13 at opposite sides of a truck bolster 14. The lower ends of the live and dead lever are connected by; means of a compression member which preferably consists of two flat bars 15 secured together intermediate their ends and between which flat bars the lower ends of the live and dead levers are secured. These bars 15 at one end are provided with a horizontal slot 16 through which a pin 17 is adapted to pass for movably securing the lower end of the live lever thereto. This pin 17 is adapted to travel along the slot 16 in the manner and under the conditions hereinafter explained for taking up and holding the slack in the brake rigging. This pin 17 also supports the lower end of a bifurcated pawl 18 having a tooth 20 adapted to engage ratchet means preferably in the form of teeth 21 on the upper surfaces of the bars 15.

Intermediate the ends of both the live and dead levers are pivotally secured at 22, brake beam struts 23 provided with brake shoe heads 24 carrying the brake shoes 25, these parts being supported by hangers 26. Intermediate the pins 17 and 22 is a second gravity actuated pawl 27, adapted also to contort with theratchet teeth 21.. The upper end of the live lever is provided with the pull rod 28 tor HIOVEDQ the live lever 7 from the bottom for this to perform the stop function.

The stoppin ill on .the. llVG lever guide hung: too ta r 50 isdesirahle in cases where the live lever ps a. position several inches 7 away from the truck bolster in full release illustration, assume that the normallv lZGQ -position. For

car is properlyadjusted' vith the up er end of the live lever (linehes away :flOlll the holster. Should the live levernow be forced.

all/of the wa hack against the holster/by. anv means, we're- 1t-l10 tor the 'll'i'GlOYOl .e and stop, an 'extrz time the live le er, through the .pull'rod connections, wouldpull the liveleveron the truck-at the other end o'l the car a corresponding distance awaw from the holster, i thus clea 'ance required and at the same time shorten the piston travel less than normal,

' themh v decreasingtheeliicieney otthehrakin apparatus. lViththe eonstruetioniherein illustrated, this unnatural condition .ean- ,not occur.

lhe raclehars, live and dead: levers on freight trucks are usually setsatan angle oli amiroximately 40, as shownfiin' Figure 1, out in passenger eompment andon electrio and" Pullman ca s thelevers generally oecupy a 'VOFtlClll'P ,on. Fer-convenience of illustration the invention. in arious modificationswill he hereinafter iown in this vertical position.

"In. the-operation of his device the parts oeeup y the 1 normal or =released .position.

shown in Figure land the actuated position shown in Figure whenexcess slack hein; taken up. lVhenthe brakes are append. the upper .end ot the live leveitis moved relatively towards. thelelt and the 5 bar connectingthelower end ofthe-dead leveris moved relativelytowards.the. ight, thushringring the hralze shoesinto e: ment with the peripheries olhlt .l,nrin;1' .the. application=of the brakes, the rain l'ioldin ej pawl 20 coaeting with vthe tichet. 21 will lock fast to thecompression atehet bars 15 and .prevent anv relative uioven'ient between the lower end of the live lever and the bar 15. If, however, the normal piston travel, for example, is eX- ceeded on orduring the/application of the hrakes. then the'pawl 27 is drawnover one looth or the rack 21 and drops into the next tooth. as shown in Figurefl whereupon the lirahes are released and theparts through their own weight. or return springs,

evcess travel OP'IHOYQUIPDl of the pawl 27 J toothamight be taheirup on the ratchet 21' andv at the same L redueing the predetermined hr-akeshoe In Figure there is shown a similar .ofslack the live. lever. being conne -ted its other L .end of .theeynnder. The opposite endsot' 116 wheels.

pivot pinl The zleruni notch until the wheels, brake sho s or other parts" wear to a sullieient extent to. permit another'notch to be taken up. This progres sivetake-np. action occurs as 0*? ten as an permits.

The connector bar 15 may. he-prov =vith extra holes 32, ifdesired. whereby a .loi

er or shorter .initial connection hetween the live and dead levers is'peri'nittei J .ll henitis desired to shorten the conupression member 15,. is. necessary when re- Elia placing. worn shoes or wheels, 'the inspector n'ierel v disensrages both pawls .20 and 2? and rough gravity 0t althepartsmove .tovards. thelright-ot the slot 16, whereupon 1e pawls are. permitted. to. I drop into. their operative position and the apparatus is again ready for use.

adjuster. mecl ii'OilDtlittlOll. brake: r1

.iloor. Iii/this view, atenaion bar 410 is interposedhetweenthe central .part of: anlive lever 4-1 and a dead lever :32, one end. of "4' l J n and the co red lever to the Ill?) pist onill of a cylinde 1-:pondi1ig. end of the It. pivotally connected at the live and 'dead levers a e p oi Cll'Wllll rigging. One edge of the tension rod -3 provided with a. raclt la adapted to he engaged by holding. pawl 5!) and take-hp pawl 51 pivoted at 513 to the live slot provided inthe. tension al tohermit. relative lliOYClllQll'io the folerumapin of the pawl ill to 'ai' 'ls'the ll wear o'lithe parts takesplace. A spring reacts between the. paw s in a manner to nor nallv hold the pawls in enf' :emeut with the ratchet 'teeth. lu this Form the lovers 1 poll rods l7 connected with the truck brake llO no in a horizontal position and in orde to vensurepro wr operation aurl ens: 'euienl ot the .pawls..atall times the r .op ession spring is used as shown.

. The operation of this device is snhstair tiallv the same as that ahove deserihed in eonnection with Figures l and 2. that when the eylinden piston moves r lativelv outward orto the left. if excess traveltalces plaee', then pawl 51 slips over a ooth. and position .iulcrmn and causes on return of the parts to normal the pm acts as a the holding pawl to take up another notch on the compression bar as the parts return to normal position.

In Figure l, there is shown this same type ol slack adjuster applied directly to the brake beam strut. This strut 5G is provided with a ratchet 57 on its underside adapted to be engaged by a take-up pawl mounted upon the live lever 60. On the fulcrum point 61 is pivotally secured a second pawl 62 provided with a. tooth (33 co-acting with this same ratchet. The opposite end of the pawl is preferably weighted, as indicated at 64-, whereby to ensure proper engagement at all times. This device operates in the same manner as the previous form.

In Figure there is shown the same general type of mechanism, that is, the brake beam strut 66 is provided with a ratchet G7 on its upper surface adapted to be engaged by take-up pawl 68, and a h olding pawl 70 carried by the live lever 71, on excess travel.

Figure 6 shows a further modification with the slack adjuster applied to the brake beam strut, but in this case the strut is provided with ratchet means in the form of racks 72 and 73 on both its upper and lower surfaces. The permanent takeup and holding pawl. 74 engages the upper rack while the temporary take-up pawl 75 engages the lower rack, this pawl '75 being weighted at T6, to ensure proper engagement. The op eration .is the same as above described.

Figure 7 shows a different type of truck brake rigging, that is, the live and dead levers and 81 are provided with a ten sion member 82 pivotally connecting them between their ends. This tension member is provided with ratchets 83 and 8% on the upper and lower surfaces adaptedto be engaged, by pawls S5 and 86, respectively, in the same manner as shown in Figure (5, which parts operate substantially as above described.

Figure 8 illustrates a further type of truck brake rigging, generally known as outside hung brake beams, that is, the wheels are between the live and dead levers and 91 respectively. A tension member 92 couuects the lower ends of these levers and 1s provided with a ratchet 93 adapted to be engaged by a permanent take-up pawl 9-1 and a. temporary take-up pawl 95. pull rod 96 is moved towards the. right, the reaction between the parts take place to move the truck brake beams toward each other. Any excess travel is temporarily taken up by the pawl and on release of the brakes the holding pawl 94 moves over another tooth and holds the parts in the same locked position. The operation is substantially as that above described.

In nearly all of these modifications the take-up pawl is attached to the live lever between the brake beam ful :rum and the bottom rod connection, which allows predetermined brake shoe clearance at all times, whereas it this take-up pawl were attached to the center line on the live lever pin a predetermined brake shoe clearance would only be problematical and uncertain.

lVhile the present invention is shown as applied primarily to trucks, cylinders and brake beam struts, requiring only a single adjustcr to the cylinder levers, it can be readily understood that the brake lev .1 connections will work with or without the cylinder lever connection or together or each alone in any part of the brake rigging when automatic adjustment is desired with or without brake beams and is operative with either hand brakes or both or in vehicles employing brakes, and I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to any one or all of the various modifications shown and described.

It will be understood from the above that the present invention is of a simple and practical construction, reliable and eflicient in use and operation, is inexpensive to manufacture and assemble, and without material modification can replace the present tension or compression member now in brake rigging. without in any way affecting the other working parts.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a simple and practical slack adjuster mechanism in which the adjusting rod and take-up rod are combined in one, thus simplifying the mechanism as a whole an d reducing the number oi parts to be manu tactured and assembled. In short, the invention is believed to accomplish, among others, all of the objects and advantages herein set forth. 7

I claim:

1. In a slack adjuster, in combination with a live lever and a compression mem ber of brake rigging, said compression member comprising a plurality of bars in spaced relation, said live lever having its lower end disposed intermediate said bars, said bars adjacent the latter end having lateral slots therethrough, ratchet teeth on a lateral surface of said bars, a. bifurcated pawl straddling said bars having its bridge constituting a tooth and engaging said ratchet teeth, a pin passing through said slots and pivotally connecting said live lever and pawl, and a pawl pivoted to the live lever at one side of the bars and engaging said ratchet teeth on the side of the live lever opposite to that of the first mentioned pawl.

2. In a slack adjuster, in combination with a live lever and a compression member of brake rigging, said compression member having a lateral slot therethrough, the lower end of: the live lever being disposed opposite said slot, a bifurcated pawl straddling said FEB compression member, a pin passingthroagh pawl and engaging said ratchet teeth on the sain'l slot and connecting said end and the side of the live lever opposite to that of Silh'l arms 0% sari (l pawl, the bridge of said pawl first mentioned pawl. 10 constituting a tootlyratchet teeth on said In Witness whereof I have hereunto set compression member engaged by said tooth, my hand this 10th day of April, 1922.

and a pawl pivoted to the live lever at a different elevation from the first mentioned lVILLIAlVL 11.. SAUVAGE. 

